November 2020 Monthly Running Challenge

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  • polskagirl01
    polskagirl01 Posts: 2,010 Member
    Running goals - keep at the 8 mile long runs and hopefully they will start feeling easier! Run a good time at the virtual Thanksgiving 5k we have scheduled. And just keep living and running regularly!


    Had a weird heart thing which may or may not have been the start of a lupus flare, hoping it won’t be a problem in future. Doctor’s office says no appointments even phone consultations for 2 weeks “if it’s an emergency go to the ER” and the ER is backed up with Covid patients. And my primary life goal for November is to continue being cautious and hopefully not catch Covid, since our cases here are super-high and everyone has Covid fatigue and has stopped being cautious. Seriously it’s just so tempting to run an in-person race now that they have started having them again but it’s more dangerous now than ever.

    Great running. I hope it's not another flare, that sounds really frustrating. And that you'll be able to keep from worrying. Good call on staying away from the events for now.
  • skippygirlsmom
    skippygirlsmom Posts: 4,433 Member
    11/1 - 5 miles

    5 of 120 miles
  • quilteryoyo
    quilteryoyo Posts: 5,884 Member
    Great run @kgirlhart . I've been having some minor Garmin issues also. Hope they haven't been "hacked" again. Sounds like you have a great plan for race week. You are going to do great!

    @AlphaHowls You continues to amaze and inspire me.
  • ContraryMaryMary
    ContraryMaryMary Posts: 1,626 Member
    Ok, I have to show you my daughter's costume. It's my favorite one she has ever done. Not pictured is the book covered mask to complete the look.
    ltwmu4qon9aa.jpg

    Love it. Great idea, and she looks stunning.
  • Avidkeo
    Avidkeo Posts: 3,190 Member
    So I ran my number one big event of the year yesterday, and totally fluffed it. Gutted.

    I probably shouldn't be so hard on myself - I set a tough target, but, I knew what needed to be done to achieve it, and failed.

    I was aiming for a 1:45 on the Auckland Half - last year I ran a PB there of 1:48:40 after a debacle of a start that had me still on the ferry as the starting gun sounded. That meant I threw all expectations out of the window and just relaxed and ran and enjoyed it, no pressure, no expectations.

    This time round, mindful that my new coach would be analysing my performance, and having set a "dream" time to race, I was early to the start and was more prepared than I've ever been for anything. I was also more nervous than I have ever been on a start line - to the point I was feeling nauseous. And there, I think, is the essence of my downfall: I suspect I psyched myself out.

    I knew that to achieve a 1:45 half you have to run at 4:58 pace, and if you analyse the data, for the first 15km I was averaging exactly 4:58 pace. However, at kilometre 16, you come to the Auckland Harbour Bridge. This is, in essence, a massive hill - it was steeper than I remember and we had a head wind going up it, subsequently that kilometre was a 5:52 (in fact, kilometre 15 sees my pace impacted by the headwind to the tune of 10 seconds).

    The massive downhill that is the other side of the bridge saw a corresponding leap in speed but not nearly enough to negate the loss, only clawing back a few seconds, and it was also followed by another steep, although fortunately shorter, climb, which further taxed the legs and lungs.

    And in that 2.5km stretch, my goal was thwarted.

    I knew I had stuffed up, and I did what I could to make up, but you can't shave a minute from your half marathon time in the final 3.5km.

    I also failed to account for the fact that this half course is not 21.1km but over 21.3km. That extra 200m or so takes over a minute to run.

    So my final result was 1:47:17. So considerably faster than last year, but a hell of a lot more work. I was gutted at the finish line. No happy endorphins for me. Just relieved to be done followed by tears of disappointment on the drive home.

    I have been consoling myself today by analysing the race thoroughly and pinpointing my problems. I believe I should have targeted a 4:50 pace to account for the bridge climb, and know my legs and lungs can handle this pace. However, I also acknowledge that running at sub-5 minute kilometre is still a mental barrier for me (I've only just started achieving this level of speed, particularly for long distances) and I need to deal with this.

    I am also regularly reminding myself that, although the result wasn't what I wanted, I still smashed out a new PB on this challenging and hilly course, was the 100th of 2036 women, and 4th in my age group, which was a field of 169 runners. That's pretty impressive (and, also, if I'd run my best race and smashed my goal, I still would have been 4th as the three women ahead of me ran blisteringly fast times).

    So, a rollercoaster of emotions yesterday - excitement, nerves, stress, disappointment, and now, resignation and a new strategy for next year.

    Pics, because, thanks to New Zealand's Covid "concentration camps", I was able to run with 15,000 of my closest friends yesterday, cheered on by thousands more, which is a whole other kind of win.
    klo1m3v6wtos.jpeg
    Sunrise at the start line

    do1yqum4d98x.jpeg
    New blue hat and a matching new blue medal

    I'm pathetic cause I have tears reading this. I'm so proud of you and impressed by what you achieved. Congratulations on a PB. And 4th in your age group, and 100th women, that's incredible!! So so proud of you.

    I get the disappointment. We can be so bad as psyching ourselves up.

    You are an inspiration.

    Selfishness in the spoiler. I almost didn't write it|, I just need to get it out today.
    And I WILL be running with you next year. I'm so so disappointed I missed out this year. That's part of my tears. I'm actually feeling a little bitter about it I guess. I admit to staying away from Instagram to avoid all the finishing posts the last day. It's just making me so much more determined. I'll be back stronger than ever next year.
  • ContraryMaryMary
    ContraryMaryMary Posts: 1,626 Member
    Avidkeo wrote: »
    So I ran my number one big event of the year yesterday, and totally fluffed it. Gutted.

    I probably shouldn't be so hard on myself - I set a tough target, but, I knew what needed to be done to achieve it, and failed.

    I was aiming for a 1:45 on the Auckland Half - last year I ran a PB there of 1:48:40 after a debacle of a start that had me still on the ferry as the starting gun sounded. That meant I threw all expectations out of the window and just relaxed and ran and enjoyed it, no pressure, no expectations.

    This time round, mindful that my new coach would be analysing my performance, and having set a "dream" time to race, I was early to the start and was more prepared than I've ever been for anything. I was also more nervous than I have ever been on a start line - to the point I was feeling nauseous. And there, I think, is the essence of my downfall: I suspect I psyched myself out.

    I knew that to achieve a 1:45 half you have to run at 4:58 pace, and if you analyse the data, for the first 15km I was averaging exactly 4:58 pace. However, at kilometre 16, you come to the Auckland Harbour Bridge. This is, in essence, a massive hill - it was steeper than I remember and we had a head wind going up it, subsequently that kilometre was a 5:52 (in fact, kilometre 15 sees my pace impacted by the headwind to the tune of 10 seconds).

    The massive downhill that is the other side of the bridge saw a corresponding leap in speed but not nearly enough to negate the loss, only clawing back a few seconds, and it was also followed by another steep, although fortunately shorter, climb, which further taxed the legs and lungs.

    And in that 2.5km stretch, my goal was thwarted.

    I knew I had stuffed up, and I did what I could to make up, but you can't shave a minute from your half marathon time in the final 3.5km.

    I also failed to account for the fact that this half course is not 21.1km but over 21.3km. That extra 200m or so takes over a minute to run.

    So my final result was 1:47:17. So considerably faster than last year, but a hell of a lot more work. I was gutted at the finish line. No happy endorphins for me. Just relieved to be done followed by tears of disappointment on the drive home.

    I have been consoling myself today by analysing the race thoroughly and pinpointing my problems. I believe I should have targeted a 4:50 pace to account for the bridge climb, and know my legs and lungs can handle this pace. However, I also acknowledge that running at sub-5 minute kilometre is still a mental barrier for me (I've only just started achieving this level of speed, particularly for long distances) and I need to deal with this.

    I am also regularly reminding myself that, although the result wasn't what I wanted, I still smashed out a new PB on this challenging and hilly course, was the 100th of 2036 women, and 4th in my age group, which was a field of 169 runners. That's pretty impressive (and, also, if I'd run my best race and smashed my goal, I still would have been 4th as the three women ahead of me ran blisteringly fast times).

    So, a rollercoaster of emotions yesterday - excitement, nerves, stress, disappointment, and now, resignation and a new strategy for next year.

    Pics, because, thanks to New Zealand's Covid "concentration camps", I was able to run with 15,000 of my closest friends yesterday, cheered on by thousands more, which is a whole other kind of win.
    klo1m3v6wtos.jpeg
    Sunrise at the start line

    do1yqum4d98x.jpeg
    New blue hat and a matching new blue medal

    I'm pathetic cause I have tears reading this. I'm so proud of you and impressed by what you achieved. Congratulations on a PB. And 4th in your age group, and 100th women, that's incredible!! So so proud of you.

    I get the disappointment. We can be so bad as psyching ourselves up.

    You are an inspiration.

    Selfishness in the spoiler. I almost didn't write it|, I just need to get it out today.
    And I WILL be running with you next year. I'm so so disappointed I missed out this year. That's part of my tears. I'm actually feeling a little bitter about it I guess. I admit to staying away from Instagram to avoid all the finishing posts the last day. It's just making me so much more determined. I'll be back stronger than ever next year.

    I’m going to hold you to that @avidkeo, and you will get here to the start line and I will be cheering you on. My coach has suggested I run Kerikeri in three weeks as it’s such a fast course and it will boost my confidence. I’m keen and hubby is very supportive but all my friends are running Queenstown the same weekend so I have no one to go with. This is where I need you to still be living in Northland Kim!
  • noblsheep
    noblsheep Posts: 584 Member
    @ContraryMaryMary Huge congrats! Goal or no goal, a PR is still a massive achievement.

    @Avidkeo Really feeling for you. But, taking the long perspective, we're going to be here running for decades yet. Missing a year just means more fun for the next one.
  • rheddmobile
    rheddmobile Posts: 6,840 Member
    @Avidkeo hey, I quit reading the thread completely when I was injured, just couldn’t stand it. Definitely understand. I’m hoping most of that is behind you now.